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Saturday, July 2 - Musician Bios

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PHOTO COURTESY XEROX ROCHESTER INTERNATIONAL JAZZ FESTIVAL

Trombone Shorty

Saturday, July 2

Brian Dickinson (Hard bop jazz) Brian Dickinson has been one of Canada's top straight-ahead jazz pianists for four decades. As a sideman, he's brought his sparkling keyboard style to the bands of Dave Liebman, Randy Brecker, John Abercrombie, and many others. (RN) briandickinson.ca

Denis Parker and the Modern Saints (Blues) You can hear the Delta coming out of Newfoundland when slide guitarist Denis Parker picks up his guitar to play. He’s been singing the blues for nigh on 50 years. He even recorded at Abbey Road. (FD) slideguy.net

Dizzy Gillespie Afro-Cuban Experience (Afro-Cuban jazz) No one did more to bring Afro-Cuban music to the United States than the great trumpeter Dizzy Gillespie. The Dizzy Gillespie Afro-Cuban Experience pays tribute to that legacy with vintage arrangements of tunes such as "Manteca." Trumpeter Freddie Hendrix even uses a Gillespie-style bent-bell trumpet, aimed at the sky. (RN) inadittke.com/dg-ace

Dwayne Dopsie & the Zydeco Hellraisers (Zydeco) There’s plenty of that New Orleans juju pumpin’ in Dwayne Dopsie’s plumbing and pumping out of his accordion. Dopsie shifted from the washboard to the accordion when he was 7 years old to learn at the feet of the master, his dad Rockin’ Dopsie Sr. (FD) dwaynedopsie.com

Flat Earth Society (Progressive jazz orchestra) Flat Earth Society is one of the most deliriously deranged big bands you will ever hear. Part Frank Zappa, part Sun Ra, and part Duke Ellington, this band packs a powerful progressive punch. After performing Friday (July 1) at Xerox Auditorium, Flat Earth Society will appear at the Lutheran Church on Saturday. (RN) fes.be/indexEN.html

Helen Sung (Jazz) She’s performed with Wayne Shorter, Ron Carter, and Clark Terry, won the Kennedy Center’s 2007 Mary Lou Williams Piano Competition, and appeared on Marian McPartland’s Piano Jazz radio show. Listen to any of Helen Sung’s six wonderful albums and you will understand why she has emerged from a crowded field of pianists. She’ll also perform with her quartet. (RN) helensung.com

Jacob's Cattle (Atmospheric guitar) Canadian guitarist Roy Patterson evokes big-sky vistas with sturdy riffs that traverse the fretboard with purpose and ease. His roots as a country player, and the steel guitar in his current band, Jacob's Cattle, add to the rural mystique and beauty. (FD) jacobscattle.com

Jam sessions with Bob Sneider Trio (Jazz) Every night, XRIJF musicians come off the stage fired up. They let off steam when they get back to the Holiday Inn, where the Bob Sneider Trio is deep into the nightly jam session. Sneider is a world-class jazz guitarist with top-notch support from Mike Melito on drums and Phil Flanigan on bass. Wynton Marsalis, George Benson, Chris Potter, and Eric Alexander are a tiny fraction of the stars who have sat in with the band. (RN) bobsneider.net

Lucky Chops (Big brass) Funky, flashy, and full of soul, this well-dressed outfit takes standard pop and rock and twists it the way a clown would with a balloon. (FD) luckychops.com

Mike Herriott Quartet (Jazz) Canadian trumpeter Mike Herriott colors out of the lines with jazz while staying within them classically. Listen as the two disciplines collide. Also a bassist, arranger, and composer, Herriott has gotten Juno Award — and Emmy — nods for his work. (FD) mikeherriott.com

Mingo Fishtrap (Funky Texas soul) As this band of tenacious Texans matures, it has dialed back some of the funky bombast but not the soul and the groove. It’s a brassy party monster for sure with 16 arms. Bring the kids. (FD) mingofishtrap.com

Oli Rockberger (Pop, jazz) Pianist Oli Rockberger splits up his time between London and New York. Conversely, his music splits time between jazz and pop. The pop aspect has him on stage with artists like Carly Simon and John Mayer. His solo output (4 albums and counting) is where he gives it the jazz. (FD) olirockberger.com

Orgone (Funk) Not to be confused with the hypothetical universal life force conceived in the 1930’s by Wilhelm Reich, Orgone is an infectious soul force conceived in California. This eight-piece funk machine, with the fantastic singer Adryon de León will simply not allow you to sit down for too long. (RN) orgonespace.com

Tia Fuller Quartet (Hard bop jazz) Berklee College of Music Professor Tia Fuller turned heads with her muscular saxophone style while touring the world with Beyoncé. But she's also earned equal cred on the jazz scene by collaborating with top players like Don Byron, Jimmy Heath, Don Braden, and many others. (RN) tiafuller.com

Trombone Shorty & Orleans Avenue (New Orleans rock) This is the man, the king of heavy, funky trombone who gets the call when rockers like U2 or Green Day need some help. An XRIJF favorite, Shorty and his band consistently stirs up crowds into gumbo — a sweaty, gyrating, jumping gumbo. (FD) tromboneshorty.com

The Wood Brothers (Roots-rock) This band's latest LP was laid to tape by Dan Auerbach at his Nashville-based Easy Eye Studio. The result is a slightly more electrified Americana with Chris Wood (1/3 of Medeski Martin & Wood) plugging in the bass. Roots with a beautiful mule kick. (FD) thewoodbros.com

City Newspaper's guide to Rochester's biggest music festival. The 2016 Xerox Rochester International Jazz Festival runs Friday, June 24, through Saturday, July 2. For more reviews, blogs, photos, and the latest news, check our website every day of the festival.

Proving that rock 'n' roll can still thoroughly thrive without the guitar, Davina and The Vagabonds lay it down with a vintage instrumentation — piano, horns, bass, and drums —and hi-tone retro ambition.

Junior Brown's playing is a hybrid blur of chicken pickin' prestidigitation and salaciously slick slide. It's as if he was channeling Jimmy Bryant and Speedy West simultaneously and couldn't decide which one to pick.

When I caught up with vocalist and composer Lizz Wright by phone, she was in New York City getting ready to sing at a benefit for The Innocence Project. Wright, who synthesizes R&B, jazz, folk, blues, and gospel music, is still basking in the glow of her excellent new album, "Freedom & Surrender."

Soon after moving from Israel to New York in the 1990's, bassist Avishai Cohen began playing with top artists, including Danilo Pérez, Wynton Marsalis, and Joshua Redman. In 1997, Chick Corea signed him to his Stretch record label and asked Cohen to join his band.

Though usually pegged as entertainers, musicians don't necessarily owe their audience a damn thing. This is particularly the case when said band is focused on exorcising its own demons, and is pursuing its muse.

Red Baraat's joyous energy is instantly infectious. Eight musicians piled onto a stage, devotedly kicking out Brooklyn bhangra — a mix of North Indian bhangra, D.C go-go, jazz, hip-hop, and New York City edge — will put a smile on your face, and then make you move.

Laura Dubin began taking piano lessons from her mom, a classical pianist, while she was growing up in Brighton. But there was another pianist in the family, her uncle, David, who visited from California.